On Sunday, July 23rd, a sell out crowd enjoyed an amazing concert at South Abbotsford Church celebrating music from around the world where Mennonites have settled.
Concert organizer Calvin Dyck gathered an eclectic line up of unique acts that delighted the audience. Highlights included Soprano Martha Penner from Chihuahua, Mexico who performed with the 'Mariachi Los Dorados' a 10 piece mariachi band for songs such as “Cielito Lindo” and “Serenata Huasteca”.
Another highlight was music by Jake Sawatsky, who grew up in Paraguay and plays the national instrument of Paraguay – the “Paraguayan Harp”.
Stan Gubiotti, originally from Brazil performed ea Choro, a Samba and a Brazilian Waltz. Calvin Dyck performed with Betty Suderman on the ethnic Ukrainian selections, and Fred Eckert led the much-loved folk songs from Germany.
In addition, the Freedom Celebration Singers directed by Hans Kruger performed Canadian folk tunes including Four Strong Winds by Ian Tyson, and a fantastic rendition of “All the little rivers of Canada” arranged by Larry Nickel.
In total, through all the events across Canada and including Sunday night, donations of $103,048.00 were accepted for the Russlaender Remembrance Fund which supports 3 MCC programs: Indigenous Neighbours, Ukraine, and International Refugee Settlement.
This concert was an event inspired by the 100 year anniversary of 21,000 Mennonite refugees coming to Canada from the Soviet Union between 1923 and 1930. To commemorate this anniversary, 126 tour participants boarded a train in Quebec on July 6th, and arrived in BC on July 23rd. There were stops along the way to visit important historical sites, celebrated with a variety of concerts, lectures and other presentations. 30 young adults were sponsored to join the tour.
If you were not able to experience this concert, pre-registration will be available for future events like these, so watch for news.
Photo credit: Julia M. Toews
